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If the races are there, then you can’t blame owners/trainers from running in the race that gives their horse the best chance of winning. It really is that simple.
However, the issue is far too much choice – do we really need 3 Gd1 Nov races for hurdlers/ chasers? No, not at all….2 is more than enough; the 2m Supreme & 2m5f Baring Bingham for hurdlers, and the 2m Arkle, and 3m Broadway. The others should be downgraded or binned altogether….there’s already Gd1 for those horses 3 weeks later as Aintree.
NH racing simply doesn’t have the horses for these races, and we split the races and end up with small, usually un-competitive fields….at the supposed ‘Olympics’ of the sport…
Actually the Olympics is far worse – swimming and gymnastics hand out gold medals like confetti with all their different sub-disciplines. Rowing has medals for one man, two man, four man and eight man boats, with a cox or without a cox. Sailing caters for six different shapes of sailing boat.
But I do agree, the duplication of Grade 1 events that already existed at Aintree has been bad news and has had the side effect of increasing the reluctance of trainers to run their horses regularly after Xmas. Why would you when there are multiple Grade 1 option in March/April, with Sandown and Punchestown also adding to the choices.
If the Irish get Facile and El Fabiolo in then I can see them really going after the mare
The Boodles race video on the Sporting Life site starts with Lydia Hislop’s RTV interview with Henry de Bromhead after today’s victory.
You can see it at: https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/results/2023-03-14/cheltenham/720269/boodles-juvenile-handicap-hurdle-registered-as-the-fred-winter-premier-handicap-gbb-race
It’s lovely. Even Chezza might turn the mute button off for a minute or two.
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